5 Weeks to Weightloss:

January 18, 2017

Starting tummy

Tummy after week 1

I have come to the conclusion that life is basically a cycle of gaining and losing weight, among other things. For 2017, I hope I can avoid the count up and just continue my slow, tedious process of making it back to my prenuptials weight. I gained 20 (plus) solid pounds from my wedding day to about 8 months after. Two years and two months after my wedding, I am 10ish pounds down. I feel good because I don’t despise going to the gym like I have been known to and I am currently not in a spell where I am compelled to eat sweets at three meals a day. In the spirit of self-improvement and new resolve, I have decided to detail my efforts for you over the next five weeks. Five weeks because that is the amount of time that popped in my head and sounded like a reasonable amount of time to see real results. I am also motivated by the fact I am meant to conceive this year, which means this could be my last opportunity to have a six pack…

Week 1

Goals:

Get up when my alarm goes off at 5 am and head to the gym.

Have clothes and shoes set aside the night before.

No sweets during the week.

Cardio sessions of at least 45 minutes.

Last weekend I decided I lacked self-discipline, which is the cause of all my failures, except as a collegiate athlete because I did have discipline then and failed, which ruined my self-discipline. One of my issues affecting my fitness is taking 20 whole minutes to get up once my alarm goes off in the morning. This is not because I’m sleeping, it’s because I’m tired and don’t want to get up. Then I get up and struggle to get my clothes, shoes, towel, and headphones together. Next thing I know, I’m arriving at the gym at 5:50 am and soldiers start to come in for PT shortly thereafter. I need to leave by 7:15, giving me less than an hour and a half to work out, which usually means cardio or abs is cut short.

One thing about the gym I am attending on post is that there are several aged adults in there before me and after me. This helps me know that I am lazy. And what is even worse is when one of the men over 50 invites me to do abs with them and has to yell at me not to put my feet down on an exercise. I can do better, but my body is naturally at a state where a little effort goes a long way, so it is hard to get over the hump.

I decided to do cardio for 45 minutes instead of my usual ten at the beginning and ten or fifteen at the end because some guy on a treadmill told me fat loss happens after 30 minutes. Having a degree in basically Exercise Science I shouldn’t need to take advice from people who walk on treadmills for exercise, but he was right. For fat loss, the recommendation is one hour of cardio five times a week.

I felt great this week. Not only did I get to the gym by 5:30 each day feeling less stressed, I kept the house exceptionally clean.

By not allowing laziness to pervade one area of my life, I elevated my performance in the others. This concept is why it is important to me to be fit and at a satisfactory weight: my upkeep of my body is a sign of my discipline and work ethic. I really value discipline, which is a big reason I was attracted to my husband. And the sign isn’t for others but rather for me. I know I have been exercising self-control- which is a fruit of the spirit- when I can get my pants up without having to jump, and then I feel I can do anything.

I was able to decline sweets all week! I actually only had to decline once and I actually did eat one bite of the cookie… but what I’m saying is I didn’t have a taste for it. The real test comes when I want it but deny myself.

At the end of this week I feel like it is taking less effort to get to the gym and do what I am supposed to do. I am pleased with the changes I made to my morning habits and feel like I can accomplish so much.

Starting weight: 164.6 lbs Ending weight: 166.6

I didn’t lose anything this week, but my abs look less pudgy so I’m cool with it. My goals for next week will be to:

Drink 80 oz water per day.

Eat breakfast and lunch.

I am terrible at drinking water as I am not thirsty, and since my life is so sedentary with the job I have, I don’t usually eat much during the day, but I want to see what happens when I do at least a protein shake for each meal.

WRITER & BLOGGER

Brianna is an Army wife and new mom. Her writing is known for its candor, humor and honesty. Her military spouse experience is known for its pride, unique challenges and tendency to be arbitrary. She finds comedy where she can.